dirigible designer wrote:
Thanks for the suggestions to my question of how to join aluminum
sheets [without rivets] for making a dirigible.
The advice that an aluminum dirigible won't fly is not borne out by
reality. Do a websearch for Schwarz airship. It was aluminum and flew
in 1897. That's right, eighteen ninety seven. Then there was the Navy
ZMC airship which flew for ten years back in the forties.
One "advantage" of an aluminum skin is that the skin holds the lift
gas, saving the weight of internal separate bags. Also, aluminum,
being stiff, can add some monocoque strength to the frame.
I'm thinking of employing some corrugated alum. for added stiffness
and reduced drumming. It doesn't look nice but might work well.
Any ideas? [negatives not needed ;-]




He didn't say it wouldn't work.

Just that at this scale it would ne too heavy to fly.

double - square - cube relationship...

Richard